London courier never arrived -please help

[Tammy&Joe 0]

Hi everyone , August 23rd was the interview , it was approved , was told the visa would get delivered in a 3-5 day timeframe , today is the 5th day , and yes I counted the stupid bank holiday which was monday . We have called the courier phone all day and it repeatedly gives a voice recording then hangs up on you. We are leaving in a week to get married . I am heartbroken , and I have no idea what to do , any comments would be deeply appreciated . Please tell me what to do .

[unforgettable fire 2]

Hi everyone , August 23rd was the interview , it was approved , was told the visa would get delivered in a 3-5 day timeframe , today is the 5th day , and yes I counted the stupid bank holiday which was monday . We have called the courier phone all day and it repeatedly gives a voice recording then hangs up on you. We are leaving in a week to get married . I am heartbroken , and I have no idea what to do , any comments would be deeply appreciated . Please tell me what to do .

I come from London myself and all I can say is NEVER TRUST THE ROYAL MAIL. I'm sure they already have a backlog of mail due to the bank holiday weekend. Do not worry I'm sure your visa will turn up shortly, give it a couple more days and if it doesn't show up call the U.S consulate for information.

All the best!

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Hi everyone , August 23rd was the interview , it was approved , was told the visa would get delivered in a 3-5 day timeframe , today is the 5th day , and yes I counted the stupid bank holiday which was monday . We have called the courier phone all day and it repeatedly gives a voice recording then hangs up on you. We are leaving in a week to get married . I am heartbroken , and I have no idea what to do , any comments would be deeply appreciated . Please tell me what to do .

I come from London myself and all I can say is NEVER TRUST THE ROYAL MAIL. I'm sure they already have a backlog of mail due to the bank holiday weekend. Do not worry I'm sure your visa will turn up shortly, give it a couple more days and if it doesn't show up call the U.S consulate for information.

All the best!

They do not deliver through Royal Mail - a courier hand delivers it.

Tammy - did you give Secure Mail Services your mobile phone number? They text you the day before they are due to deliver. I'm sure they'll have to you within the week, they may have been delayed by a day or so.

[mrs_sdp 0]

Hi everyone , August 23rd was the interview , it was approved , was told the visa would get delivered in a 3-5 day timeframe , today is the 5th day , and yes I counted the stupid bank holiday which was monday . We have called the courier phone all day and it repeatedly gives a voice recording then hangs up on you. We are leaving in a week to get married . I am heartbroken , and I have no idea what to do , any comments would be deeply appreciated . Please tell me what to do .

There could be a simple explanation why the passport wasn't delivered today. Maybe the courier company has drivers off sick and they need to re-arrange their schedules?? Do they actually count weekend days and the day of the interview?

If the phone number is a 24 hour line - try calling later on tonight when they might be less busy. Do they have an email address that you could try? Look the company up on the net and see if they have a "contact us" option - most firms have an option to contact them by email.

I know it's easy for me to say this, but please try not to panic. It could be delivered tomorrow ...

Wishing you luck and waiting for your post to say it's arrived!!

Edited August 29, 2008 by mrs_sdp

[Catgirl 0]

Our interview was on Friday the 22nd of August. I didn't realise the embassy works on a Saturday. Anyway, we received our passports back today via the SMS courier (Friday 29th). I called the number in the invoice yesterday and they confirmed they had received the visas from the embassy and I paid an extra 20 pounds to have them delivered on Friday before 12. Press option 1 when you call the number, and give them the invoice number, they should be able to track your paperwork.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

We had alot of trouble with SMS. Interviewed on a Tuesday and got visa next Tuesday. They never did send a text. I called Dept of State and they actually told me your visa was printed on Thursday. If you interviewed on Saturday, 23rd like you said then the visa may not have been printed until Wednesday. I called SMS and the number on our receipt wasn't even a proper number...their computers were down and somebody wrote out the receipt in bad handwriting. I've often wondered if other people got some kind of computerized receipt. So SMS told me the visa was on the truck Monday. Waited all day. Called back at end of day. "Oh the truck broke down so he didn't finish his deliveries. Call back tomorrow at 8am and we will give you a one hour window of when delivery will be." Ummm they did, but didn't make the window.

I believe when I called, I chose the selection "To schedule a collection, press...." They answered that.

SMS phone 0870 950 1760

Embassy page about courier: http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/courier.html

How can I check on the progress of my application?

If more than 7 days has passed since attending the visa interview

or 10 days if a petition based application,

you may wish to contact SMS on the telephone number that you will have been provided quoting the tracking number that they will have given you. At this point the Embassy and its visa information call center will not be able to track your envelope, and you must communicate with SMS directly. However, when checking the progress of your application you must take into account that the documents will not be released to the courier until processing has been completed.

Edited August 30, 2008 by Nich-Nick